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'Spelling Bee Bandit' Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man authorities dubbed the "spelling bee bandit" because the notes he passed to tellers during multiple bank robberies in the Boston area contained the same spelling error has been sentenced.

Federal prosecutors say 34-year-old Jason Englen was sentenced to seven years of prison and three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in November to four counts of bank robbery.

Authorities say the Chelsea man entered an Arlington bank on Oct. 31, 2016, approached a teller and handed over a note written on a deposit slip indicating a robbery was in progress, except robbery was spelled with just one "B."

Over the next few weeks, he robbed banks in Reading, Burlington and Peabody using notes with the same misspelling. He was arrested in December 2016.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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